Things You Never Knew About The Real Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror, a horrific story allegedly based on true events, was the second-highest-earning movie of 1979. The first part of the tale is true: Ronald DeFeo did murder his parents and brothers at his home in Amityville, New York. The second part of the story focuses on the bizarre occurrences that compelled the Lutz family, the house’s next owners, to leave. But even with paranormal occurrences, these events are essentially a scam.

It Started With A Mass Murder

Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six members of his family at his house on 112 Ocean Road in Amityville, New York, at around 3:15 in the morning on November 13, 1974. DeFeo went to a pub after the deaths of his family members and reported that they had been murdered. He asserted that Louis Falini had killed them as part of a mob hit.

The first story DeFeo told didn’t stick. He gave contradictory information, which was updated as investigators found additional evidence. The following day, DeFeo admitted his guilt and asserted his insanity as a defense, saying he had heard voices of his relatives scheming against him. DeFeo had an antisocial personality disorder, according to the prosecution, and while using heroin and LSD at the time, he was conscious of his acts. For the killings of his parents and four siblings, he was found guilty and given six separate sentences of 12 years to life.

The Lutz Family Moves In

George and Kathy Lutz bought the house for a low cost in December 1975, a year after the killings, and moved in with their three kids and their dog. Before purchasing the home, they were made aware of the murders, and one of George’s friends recommended they get the house blessed.

Paranormal Activity

The Lutz family claimed to have seen demons, heard unexplained noises, smelled unexplained odors, and been attacked by an eerie force that left Kathy with red marks on her chest and caused her to levitate. George also claimed to have found a hidden red room that terrified their dog. After a night that they said was too horrific to remember, the Lutzes left the property in January 1976, 28 days after moving in.

An Amityville Book

The Lutz family, who provided Jay Anson with 45 hours of recorded information for the book that would later be made into a movie, were introduced to him by an editor for Prentice Hall.

The assertions made by the Lutzes have been disputed. Although the future owners of the home claimed there was no proof of damage, the Lutz family asserted that the locks, doors, and windows had been damaged. Although there was no snow on the ground at the time, the Lutzes had claimed to have seen cloven hooves in the snow. Additionally, the “red room” in the basement was only a closet. No subsequent owners noted any signs of haunting in the home.

The Murders Reexamined

Additional evidence has come to light, making the killings’ story less definite than previously believed. DeFeo may not have acted alone; a second gunman may have assisted him in committing the crime, according to the evidence, which also includes handwritten notes, eyewitness accounts, and a second gun found in a nearby canal.

Mystery Behind The Murders

The police report contains other odd information. All of DeFeo’s family members’ bodies were discovered in their beds, lying face down. There was no silencer used by Ronald DeFeo. Ronald killing relative after relative at 3:15 in the morning without awakening any of them seems remarkable, if not unlikely.

What actually transpired is further complicated by the fact that none of DeFeo’s neighbors remember hearing gunfire.

An Artifact Left Behind

The alleged “ghost boy” or “demonic boy” photograph is another aspect of the tale that has not been explained. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren took the image, which depicts a dull corridor and stairway with what appears to be a young boy with a dark face and brilliant eyes staring out from a dark room. The image was shot soon after the Lutzes left the residence. Though it’s unclear how it would fit into the story, it hasn’t been refuted. Such a picture might readily be faked, even with the analog photography of the time.

The alleged haunting may be a fabrication, but DeFeo’s family’s killings were undeniably true and horrifying.